Demons gun Brayshaw 'way past' concussion battle

By Michael Ramsey

Angus Brayshaw's concussion battle is a distant memory for the Melbourne star and if all goes to plan it will soon be forgotten by everyone else, too.

Brayshaw's superb finals debut was an emphatic reminder of just how far he has come in the past two years.

The 22-year-old was among the Demons' best as they powered their way to victory over Geelong in last week's elimination final.

Angus Brayshaw says his concussion issues are behind him.

Photo: AAP

Just 16 months earlier, his career was effectively on hold after he suffered his fourth concussion in the space of a year.

Brayshaw's long road to recovery - spending extended periods of time isolated in a dark room, tenuously returning to full-contact training then finally making it back to AFL level wearing a protective helmet - has been well-documented.

But with 20 straight games and a lucrative four-year contract extension under his belt, Brayshaw, who heads into Friday night's semi-final against Hawthorn in career-best form, says his health struggle is no longer front of mind.

"I'm way past it now," he said.

"Now that I'm back, I've had a few knocks to the head where I've thought 'that really hurt' but then I feel all right and off I go.

"The biggest thing, and it was always the most important thing, was my health. Now I'm obviously fully recovered so once that has been put to rest I don't really think about it.

"It's a distant memory. People bring it up from time to time but it's becoming less and less now that I'm playing more and more footy.

"The helmet probably doesn't help because it's topical - it came off a couple of weeks ago and everyone started talking about it again. But hopefully there will come a point where it's a distant memory as much for everyone else as for me."

The Dees have no shortage of young guns but Brayshaw is particularly relishing riding the wave with close mates Christian Petracca and Clayton Oliver.

"It's more than just a friendship, it's like a brotherhood," Brayshaw said.

"I've got three real brothers myself and I hardly ever see them but I see these guys every day.

"You'd do anything for them and now that we're all playing good footy and succeeding, everyone's loving that and I think it shows a little bit."